"Alpha and omega"  are big-brained, Greek terms for the absolute beginning/impetus/catalyst of things...God!    ...And for the absolute end/final/finale/finish/capstone of things= also  God. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”   Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  ( 6) He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  ~Revelation 21:5-6 God is trying to explain something to us that He knows  that we can't (fully) understand:  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 21:6).   God knows that He is speaking  to us: and because we are (mere) mortals, our minds (although intelligent) are limited in our (eternal) understanding, insight, and intelligence. We will not (can not!)  fully  grasp the power and holiness of God until we are fully in His presence, but  until then , God goe...

We are almost to the end!     ...How will we finish? Praise the Lord .   Praise the Lord , my soul. ( 2) I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  ~Psalm 146:1-2 ~~~ I have a nice wooden Bible-stand/holder that my husband gave me.   Before the holder, I would prop-up my Bible on the table each morning, resting it on something (anything), so that it might be (a little elevated and tilted-toward me while I read it each day.   And then one birthday a few years back, I opened up a wooden book-stand from my husband and I (initially) thought: "What's this for?"   Possibly cookbooks(?), I wondered, as I smiled and thanked him. But he had seen me propping-up my Bible day after day, and he had given me a thoughtful tool to help.  And  every single day I remember afresh what it's for (not cookbooks), as my Bible pages stay-turned and as my Bible stays propped and erect, and easy f...

So often I worry about other people, and often--other people's children.  Do you?  How can we help?  Can I make a connection for them?  And most importantly:  how can I help them to grow in Christ?   I have a true desire to assist adults in becoming more Godly.  But children?  I  have a deep desire.  They have their whole lives in front of them.  What if...  WHAT IF!  They could live those lives in the fullness and purpose of the Lord? The next generation (and every generation!) are of great value to the Lord, and (God says) that we should have a burden for them.   When they had finished eating,  Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  ~John 21:15 We have a call on our lives to feed the lambs (young) of the world, and we may  often consider how.   How ca...

If we think that we just can't  for one more day...for one more trial...for one more minute... HANG ON!  Because we can.   Today is not our giving-up day. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.  ~Philippians 4:13   ~~~ I know it feels as if there is no point.   That there is no one that cares.   Not a soul who  sees and understands  what we have on our shoulders...or what is breaking our hearts. But... Beloved , there is  Someone Who sees all...and Who sees us.   Who loves  us, and Who is not-giving-up  on us.  Ever.   So do not fear, for I am with you;  do not be dismayed, for I am your God.   I will strengthen you and help you;  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.   ~Isaiah 41:10 Today is not our giving-up day. ~~~ I know that we don't deserve the scourging that this scoffing world steadily applies to our spirits.  I rea...

Besides, sleeping...what fills the hours of our days and nights?  Of course, our answers may vary from day to day, as schedules vary, but then again, for many of us, the activities might change, but for the most part, we spend our time in similar ways every day. Well--guess what I did for almost two hours yesterday.? Cleaned elderberries .  I didn't shuck  elderberries (remove them from the stem of the bush that they grew on, and into a bowl or pan), because my husband had dutifully (and happily) already shucked the berries ( many berries! ) the day before.  That is partly why I was cleaning them (removing any tiny leftover stems/hardened berries/over-ripe berries) yesterday: I needed to clean the elderberries for cooking preparation, so that we wouldn't lose  the berries to spoiling. Shucking and cleaning elderberries are both huge and time consuming jobs, and as I stood at my kitchen counter searching for imperfections in a sea of tiny deep purple bulbs, I beg...